Teen Team Features

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We design our Earthwatch Teen Expeditions specifically and exclusively for 15- to 18-year-olds. They’re unlike any other experience a teenager can have.

Do something special this summer: investigate what’s happening on the frontlines of climate change and meet fascinating people from around the world.

“The Arctic fever…lives only in the mind, filling its victim with a consuming urge to wander again, and forever, through these mighty spaces where the caribou herds flow like living rivers over the roll of the tundra,” wrote Canadian author Farley Mowat. But this captivating landscape may cease to exist. This is your chance to both experience its wonders and help protect it.

You’ll measure evidence of global warming near Churchill, a small town on Hudson Bay. Climate-related shifts are already happening here: shrinking sea ice, retreating glaciers, a tree line migrating farther north, and less snow that also melts earlier.

Help researchers as they learn all they can about this fragile environment. You’ll don waist-high waders to take water samples and assess the abundance of the fish and frogs that make these northern wetlands their home. Back in the lab, you’ll analyze the water samples and identify tadpoles and fish your team collected in the field. Your work will contribute to a fuller picture of how individual species adapt—or fail to adapt—as climate change reshapes the habitats they depend on.

Each day of an Earthwatch teen expedition offers a balance of hands-on research and the chance to explore your surroundings and to get to know the scientists and your teammates. Your team is led not only by professional researchers but also by at least one Earthwatch facilitator, who will always be around to help you get the most out of your experience.

You’ll become very familiar with the flora, fauna, and landscape of this singular place. Every day you’ll begin hiking early, stopping along the way to (depending on the season):

Look for signs of climate change. You'll use sophisticated equipment to collect data on features of the permafrost and soil. This work helps reveal global-warming-related changes in these aspects of the Arctic.

Record plant observations. As you hike you'll look for vascular plants, lichens, and mosses and monitor plant phenology (the timing of seasonal events such as flowering, first leaves, etc.). You'll also core evergreen trees to count their rings, and count their needles. This information gives researchers insight into how global warming is changing life for Arctic plants.

Survey mammals, birds, fish, and frogs. You'll also see how climate change is impacting Arctic animals by recording when and where you see them, and how many you observe.

Investigate in the lab. On most afternoons you’ll return to the comfort of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre to enter data and process water or plant samples in the state-of-the-art lab.

After a friendly dinner, you might attend a talk on climate change, the natural history of polar bears or whales, or ecotourism in Churchill. Or you can enjoy the time relaxing, reading, or chatting with team members.

On one day during the expedition, your team will take a break from being research scientists and enjoy some of Churchill’s recreational activities, which might include whale watching, touring historic sites like Fort Prince of Wales, river kayaking, or browsing through the Eskimo Museum. You’ll have time to ask questions, enjoy the scenery, and keep an eye out for the wildlife and plants—including Churchill’s famed polar bears—that you can’t see anywhere else.

Accommodations and Food

Accommodations and Food

Wireless Internet

Movie room

Northern lights observation dome

Live the life of an Arctic explorer - with a comfortable bed and plenty of hot food and drink, of course. You’ll stay at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, a vibrant research hub, in dorm rooms that house up to four people.

You’ll share hearty buffet-style meals with teammates and visiting researchers, which usually include fresh bread, salads, a main course (with a vegetarian option), and desserts. The center also has plenty of other perks, including an herbarium, a movie room, a northern lights observation dome, and a workout room.